Hydraulic dredging apparatus



L. W. BEAVEN. HYDRAULIC DREDGING APPARATUS.

APPLLCATION FILED DEC-14.1918,

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEEI I.

s v T a iokk m INVENTOR. LESLIE W. BEAVEN.

L. W. BEAVEN.

HYDRAULIC DREDGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION msn DEC. 14. 191B.

Patented Jan. 15, 1920.

1, 3 SHEET EH 2 INVENTOR LESLIE W. BEAVE N.

L. W. BEAVEN.

HYDRAULIC DREDGI NG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED'DEC. 14. 191B.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEI 3.

INVENTOR LESLIE W. BEA'VEN.

LESLIE W. BEAVEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HYDRAULIC DREDGING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Application filed December 14, 1918. Serial No. 266,758.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. LnsLIE WV. BEAVEN, of the city of Chicago, in. the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Dredging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve ments in hydraulic dredging apparatus, and has special reference to the; provision of means for controlling the position of the intake or nozzle of an hydraulic dredge with reference to the material to be moved or eX- cavated thereby.

As will be hereinafter seen, my apparatus has special applicability in connection with hydraulic dredges employed in excavating aggregates, consisting of sand and gravel, which are afterward to be separated and graded for use in building operations.

It is the present practice, in such operations, to elevate the aggregates by means of an hydraulic dredge to a point where they can be conveniently discharged into the separating or grading structure. The hydraulic dredge sucks up the aggregates, together with a considerable quantity of water, and it will be appreciated that there is a proportion of water and aggregates which is most economically handled by the dredge. If the amount of aggregates being pumped falls substantially below the desired proportion, the dredge will be pumping a large amount of water without accomplish ing any useful purpose thereby; and, if the amount of aggregates rises much above the proper proportion, either a stoppage will occur or the delivery will be so impeded as to impair the efficiency of the operation. In fact, the successful operation of an hydraulic dredge largely depends on the ability of the operator to adjust the machinery so that it will be handling and continuously delivering the proper proportion of water and aggregates. So far as I am aware, this adjustment is now accomplished manually by means of hoists arranged to elevate and lower the intake or nozzle of the dredge so as to position it with respect to the aggregates at the bottom of the water so that the dredge will suck up relatively proper proportions of aggregates and water. This adjustment has to be changed from time to time as the aggregates are removed from the vicinity of the intake ornozzle, and it also often happens that the excavation gregates.

causes the caving-in of the bank of aggregates which fall about the intake or nozzle and occasions a choking or stoppage thereof.

An object of my improvement is to provide instrumentalities for maintaining the intake or nozzle of the dredge continuously at a desired position with respect to the ag- I prefer to attain the above object by means of the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an hydraulic dredge in operation, with my in vcntion applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of a design for a float; and i Fig. 3 is a top plan of thefloat shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a modified structure embodying my invention; and s Fig. 5 is also a schematic view showing a further modified embodiment of my inven-. tion.

Similar reference characters refer to similar elements throughout the divers views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1

of the drawings, when it is desired to dredge the materials from the bottom or bank 5 of a body of water 6, it is the usual practice to install a dredge pump 7 upon a suitable scow or pontoon 8. Leading from and swingingly secured to the pump 7, is the conduit or dredging pipe 9, the lower end or intake whereof has to be adjusted in proper relation to the materials to be dredged from the bottom of the body of water. Interposed in the conduit 9 and at a suitable dis-. tance from the lower end thereof is a T 11 to the lateral stub 12 of which is preferably secured a 45-degree elbow 13. To the top of the elbow 13 is secured a float chamber 14., which should have a displacement preferably two or more times as great as the combined weight of itself and the entire conduit or dredge ipe 9. The float may conveniently be constructed of a cylindrical body 15, to the bottom and'top of which are respectively secured the lower convex and up per concave heads 16 and 17, having annular lateral flanges that are fitted inside the body and riveted thereto.

To relieve the T 11 and elbow 13 of some of the weight of the conduit 9, I employ braces which consist of turnbuckles 18 and rods 19 secured to the lower rods of which are-straps 20, 20, surrounding the conduit,

and the upper rods of which are provided with hooks 21, 21, that engage loops or eyes 22, 22, formed by lugs 23, 23, riveted to the upper end of the cylindrical wall of the float.

Installed in the scow or pontoon 8 is a pressure tank 24:, supplied with air under pressure by any suitable mechanism. A conduit or pressure pipe 25 leads from the tank 2% to an elbow nipple 26 adjacent the top of the float. Interposed in the pressure tube is a three-Way cock 27.

The operation of my device is as follows :After the pump in the dredge has been started, the intake 10 of the conduit 9 is adjusted with respect to the material. to be dredged by either admitting water to or ex pelling water from the float 14L by the operation of the three-way cock 2'? which either allows air to escape or be exhausted from the float or causes compressed air to be introduced therein, thereby admitting to or displacing a sutficient quantity of water froin the float to regulate its buoyancy so that the float will hold the intake 10 of the conduit 9 in desired relation to the material to be dredged. lVhen the amount of aggregates in the stream of water lifted through the conduit 9 has materially decreased by the exhaustion of the aggregates from adjacent the intake 10, the more ready inflow of the water will permit the float 14: to be filled to a higher level, thereby decreasing its buoyancy and causing a sinking thereof until the intake is again in proper relation to the material to be dredged. In the event that a cave-in chokes the intake 10, the tion of the dredge pump will exhaust wzncr from the float 1 thereby giving it greater buoyancy and causing it to elevate the intake until it is again in proper relation to the material to be dredged.

It is obvious that the details of the embodiment of my invention may be variously altered or modified. One such modification is illustrated in Fig. 4. In this embodiment of my invention instead of connecting the float to the dredge pipe so as to afford communication between the float chamber and the column of material carried by the dredge pipe at a point between the dredge pump and the intake end of the dredge pipe, I connect the float to the intake end of the dredge pipe so that the buoyancy of the float will tend to counter-balance the intake end of the dredge pipe, and a pipe or conduit 28 is provided which leads from the float chamber to the discharge conduit 29 on the opposite side of the pump from the intake conduit. I prefer to make the connection of the pipe 28 with the discharge conduit through a preferablv spherical chamber 30 extending upwardly from the discharge conduit and attached thereto through a T 31 interposed in the discharge conduit, The

chamber 30 permits aggregates to settle so that they Will not be carried into the pipe 28 and thence to the chamber in the float 1%. With such an arrangement the head or force of movement of the material in the discharge conduit varies inversely with the suction in the intake conduit. When the water and materials enter more freely into the intake end the pressure or head in the discharge conduit rises and water is forced through the pipe 28 into the float chamber, thereby decreasing the buoyancy and sinking the intake until it is again taking the desired proportions of water and aggregates. When water is forced into the float chamber the air sealed therein is compressed until it balances the pressure of the entering water. lVhen the intake is stepped up or clogged, the head in the discharge conduit is decreased as the suction in the intake end increases and the compressed air in the float cham her eXpels water therefrom until the compression in the float chamber again balances the head in the discharge conduit. The discharge of water from the float chamber gives it greater buoyancy which elevates the intake until it is again taking the desired proportion of water and aggregates.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, instead of making the initial adjustment by means of injecting air into or permitting its escape or exhausting it from the float chamher and thereby altering the buoyancy of the float chamber, I have shown a float chamber in which a predetermined air content is made. In cases where no considerable variation of conditions under which dredging operations are carried on are expected, a rough but suflicient initial adjustment may be secured by attaching a weight 32 to a suitable hook 33, or other means for securing the same carried to the intake end of the dredge pipe. The weight 32 may be supplemented or the entire counterweighting of the float may also be accomplished by a weight 33 carriedon a movable hanger 34 which is adapted to travel on a rod or track 35 secured to the intake end of the dredge pipe. The weight 33 is permitted to run out on the track 35 or is drawn inwardlv thereon by means of a cable 36 which is attached to and runs from the hanger 34 to the winch or Windlass 37 installed on the pontoon 8. It will be seen that by adjusting the weight 33 nearer to or farther from the intake of the intake end of the dredge pipe, it will be possible to throw a greater or less weight upon the float chamber and thereby alter the position of the intake.

It will now be seen from the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings, that I have provided instrumentalities for maintaining the intake of the dredge at res a desired or adjusted relation to the material to be dredged, thereby securing a much more uniform operation of the dredge without the necessity of a constant and skilful adjust ment thereof to meet the changing conditions.

WVhat I claim is 1. In hydraulic dredging apparatus means for controlling the intake thereof comprising a mobile intake pipe, a float chamber se cured thereto and having communication therewith and having sufficient buoyancy to carry the weight of said pipe.

2. In hydraulic dredging apparatus means for controlling the intake thereof comprising a mobile intake pipe, a float chamber secured thereto and having communication therewith, and means for adjusting the buoyancy of said float chamber.

3. In hydraulic dredging apparatus means for controlling the intake thereof comprising a mobile intake pipe, a float chamber secured thereto and having communication therewith, and means for introducing air to and permitting air to escape from said float chamber.

l. In hydraulic dredging apparatus means for controlling the intake thereof comprising a mobile intake pipe, a float chamber communicating therewith and closed to atmospheric pressure, a pressure tank, and a valve-controlled pipe leading from said pressure tank to said float chamber whereby the buoyancy of said float chamber is controlled to elevate and lower the intake end of said pipe.

In hydraulic dredging apparatus a suitable pontoon having a dredging pump positioned thereon, an intake pipe movably connected thereto, a T interposed in said intake pipe, a float chamber communicating with the lateral stub of said T, and means for supplying air to and exhausting air from said float chamber whereby the buoyancy thereof is controlled and the position of the intake end of said intake pipe is adjusted.

6. In hydraulic dredging apparatus means for controlling the intake thereof comprising a mobile suction pipe, and a float chamber secured thereto and having communication therewith, which said float chamber is adapted to counterbalance the sinking impulse of the weight of said pipe and its associated parts, whereby the flow through said pipe modifies the buoyancy'of said float and controls the position of the intake end of said pipe.

7. In hydraulic dredging apparatus means for controlling the intake thereof comprising a mobile suction pipe, and a float chamber secured thereto and having communication with the column of material moved by said dredge, which said float chamber is adapted to counterbalance the sinking impulse of the weight of said pipe and its associated parts whereby the movement of the column of material moved by said dredge modifies the buoyancy of said float and controls the position of the intake end of said me. p Signed at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, this 11th day of December, 1918.

"4 LESLIE W. BEAVEN.

WVitnesses:

BENJ. T. ROODHOUsE, H. SLACK. 

